How sources are chosen
The publication prefers the source closest to the fact being claimed. A first-party technical document is normally stronger than a directory summary; a court or government record is stronger for a documented enforcement event; a peer-reviewed paper is stronger for a research result.
| Claim type | Preferred source |
|---|---|
| How onion services work | Tor Project protocol and support documentation |
| Who publishes an onion address | The organization’s established clearnet website |
| SecureDrop instance status | SecureDrop project and the participating newsroom |
| A legal or enforcement event | Court, regulator, or government record |
| Search-engine behavior | Official Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, or IndexNow documentation |
| Community report | Used only as an identified lead requiring corroboration |
Tor Project
- Onion services in Tor Browser
- How onion services work
- Set up an onion service
- Onion-Location
- Tor Browser support
- Tor Browser security levels
- Tor Project glossary
SecureDrop
Search discovery and indexing
- Bing Webmaster Guidelines
- Bing guidance on duplicate URLs and intent
- Bing sitemap freshness guidance
- DuckDuckGo organic-result sourcing
- Google Search Essentials
- Google people-first content guidance
How citations are used
A citation supports a factual statement; it does not authorize copying the source’s prose or adopting every conclusion it contains. Articles should identify the claim, explain the source’s relevance, distinguish fact from inference, and remain understandable when the reader does not open every reference.
Archiving and dates
For claims likely to change, record the source URL and the date reviewed. When a source disappears, do not silently substitute a different page and preserve the old conclusion. Reassess the statement, update the citation, and note a material correction where necessary.
Source corrections
Readers can report a broken source, misquoted claim, outdated address, or stronger primary record through the Corrections Policy. The publication may keep a source while narrowing the statement it supports.